1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an automotive seat belt device, more specifically to a front seat belt device for an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior art
A seat belt device for a passenger in a front seat is provided with a shoulder belt member which prevents the passenger from moving undesirably forwardly by fastening his body on a front member seat in the case of an accident.
As shown in Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure No. 61-37055 laid open to the public in 1986, the shoulder belt member is extended from a retractor mounted at a lower portion of a center pillar upwardly along an, inner wall surface of the center pillar and engaged with a hanger member mounted on an upper portion of a center pillar or an intermediate portion of a roof side rail and thereafter extended to a buckle arranged by a seat cushion to fasten an upper body portion of the passenger.
It should, however, be noted that this type of seat belt device is disadvantageous, as will be clear from the following points. A webbing or a part of the shoulder belt member along the center pillar appears in a visual range of a passenger in a rear seat to deteriorate a riding comfort. Further, the hanger member affects a comfort of the front seat passenger. Particularly, in the case of a pillarless hard top type automotive vehicle, the shoulder belt is arranged to extend downwardly from an intermediate portion of the roof side rail so that an undue load may act on the intermediate portion in an accident in addition to a deterioration of looking thereof.
Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure No. 53-165527 laid open to the public in 1978 proposes a pillarless hard top type automotive vehicle in which a shoulder belt member is extended rearwardly through a guide member mounted on a shoulder portion of a front seat back and a rear end of the extended portion of the shoulder belt member is wound in a retractor mounted on an inner panel of a rear body portion. With this structure, a webbing of the belt device is arranged lower than a window portion so that a visuality can be improved. It should however be noted that the extended portion of the shoulder belt member may be in the way when a rear seat passenger gets o in and out of the vehicle. In addition, a mounting for the retractor is projected rearwardly which may cause deterioration in riding comfort for the rear seat passenger.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-7097 discloses a seat belt device provided with a shoulder belt member wound on a retractor mounted on a driver's seat back and an automatic winding belt device for preventing the belt member from exposure from a window portion and for supporting the seat back against an impact in an accident. In this structure, a retractor of the automatic winding belt device provided with a lock mechanism for locking the device in case of accident to prevent a belt member from being drawn out is mounted on the front seat back to project rearwardly so that a riding comfort in a rear seat passenger is deteriorated as well. In addition, when a reclining operation of the seat back is made quickly, a lock mechanism may be undesirably actuated to lock the retractor.
Specifically, when the seat back is moved for rotation beyond 15 degrees the lock mechanism is actuated to lock the belt supply.